


Hear Your Call

by reiriegan



Series: the unicorn and the lion [1]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Academy Era, Claude is magic, Crests (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Dehumanization, Dimitri doesn't know how to control himself around Claude, Established Relationship, Experimentation, Kidnapping, M/M, the Riegan crest is self-healing don't @ me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-05
Updated: 2019-11-19
Packaged: 2021-01-23 08:47:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21317395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reiriegan/pseuds/reiriegan
Summary: Dimitri has been working up the courage to ask Claude to the school ball, but on the day he finally gets the chance, hunters invade the school, looking for vulnerable students with rare types of crests.It just so happens that Claude, with his rare self-healing crest type and being the last of House Riegan, falls into that category.
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/Claude von Riegan
Series: the unicorn and the lion [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1561849
Comments: 59
Kudos: 310





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So it seems that whenever I want to write a fic, it's always going to be for a game. Nothing wrong with that, it's just a funny observation.
> 
> Honestly, I should be working on the two other massive projects I have going on but... I really wanted to write this because DimiClaude is now on my top favourite OTPs of all time and I never feel like there's enough (even though there is enough, seriously, everyone's work and the love they pour in is amazing)
> 
> So this is my little tribute, hope it's okay. I still need to work more on my BL route - my heart lies with GD so I'm trying to make this happen as soon as I can

It began with a theft.

On a cold winter morning, Professor Hanneman discovers a few things missing in his office. He reports it to Seteth and then a search by the knights turned up nothing.

“What is missing?” Byleth asks, striding into Hanneman’s office.

“Hm? Oh, a few of my spare materials that I use to create this,” said Hanneman, gesturing to the strange machine that he uses for identifying crests.

Byleth stares at it for a moment; the wheels turning in their head as they tried to puzzle it out. They remember returning a hammer and chisel to Hanneman but those items didn’t appear to be missing in the pile.

“Anything else?”

Hanneman shook out of his stupor. He glances around his room, at the books on his shelves, at the objects littering the floor and desks and shook his head.

“No, just that. I hadn’t even noticed they were missing until I took stock of my inventory.” Hanneman pauses for a moment in thought. “They’re not terribly valuable, nor are they terribly useful for anything other than this machine. I wonder why anyone would take them.”

Byleth wonders that too.

* * *

Aside from the small issue of stolen materials from Professor Hanneman, the rest of Garreg Mach Monastery is undeterred from reclaiming its positive and festive mood. The student ball is coming up and rumours and clamours abound.

One such rumour is that the crown prince of Faerghus seems to have his eye on someone. However, no one has a clue as to who it is, given the prince has often been seen daydreaming and then blushing when asked about it. Sylvain has pestered him about it constantly but even he couldn’t say who Dimitri has his eyes on.

On a free day that he was able to get away from his duties, Dimitri took a seemingly casual stroll through the monastery. If anyone looked closely however, they might see the small wringing of his hand, the slightly pinched look on his face, and realize that the crown prince is nervous.

Dimitri is nervous. He has decided to ask someone to the ball. It would be the proper way to do it rather than not acknowledging this growing relationship between them. It still surprises him that he even feels this way towards them, when he had thought there isn’t room left in his heart to pursue romantic feelings. Every day they were growing, chasing away the dark thoughts and he sometimes brings them to the surface when everything else felt too much. Even though they are from different houses, he hoped they felt the same way.

Before coming to the Academy, Dimitri did not spare much thought for the members of the Golden Deer house. Oh he knows enough on the surface. He knows each of the key members of the Roundtable in a political capacity given that they would become future leaders that he would have to interact with as king.

So he systematically studied their identities and proclivities, just enough to be able to identify them on sight.

House Goneril is the one he remembers as being the gateway in the East. Beyond that though, their strength laid in military power and that is the reason they held a presence at the Roundtable. Duke Goneril has a son, Holst who is the main general and the reason the Goneril military is so mighty. Their representative at the academy is his younger sister, Hilda.

Having only seen House Goneril from afar, Dimitri is taken aback by just how vibrantly pink Hilda Goneril’s hair is, and how put together she looks. From those first impressions, he got the idea that she is the spoiled and loved younger child, and that thought aches like a phantom pain.

From what he knows of House Edmund, they are a new addition to the Great Five Lords after House Daphnel underwent internal conflicts. His short brief on them didn’t amount to much other than they were devout Church followers and their territory is small. He only knows of Marianne von Edmund by name and from the brief glimpses he catches of her aqua blue hair. It seems Marianne prefers to fade into the background or into the church.

House Ordelia, from what he ascertained, has had inner turmoil that rumours suggested amounted to a civil war on a very small scale. Rumours also suggested that the Empire was involved, but Dimitri did not want to put much stock in those rumours since recent years showed they shook off all those disputes and remained firmly in the Alliance camp.

Though, looking at Lysithea von Ordelia… he cannot help but wonder if she has some relation to Edelgard.

House Gloucester is fairly well known as a stable house within the Alliance. From what he could ascertain, the house once split off from Faerghus territory and has since flourished. Within the Alliance however, they often squabble for leadership with House Riegan, and from what he knew of Lorenz Gloucester, the heir is also distrustful of Riegan’s heir.

And once again, Dimitri’s thoughts spiralled back to House Riegan, the biggest mystery in recent years. House Riegan also split from the Empire a few centuries back, a vassal state of House Blaiddyd before turning into an alliance. In his brief studies on the Alliance before coming to Garreg Mach, House Riegan gave him even lengthier pause than he expected.

He is mindful of the fact that he would be dealing with the main voice of the Alliance, the House that holds all these differing houses together with acute authority, at some point in his ascendance to the throne. House Riegan however, intrigued him more than most.

The head of the Alliance has been in decline for the last two generations. The lineage is slowly circling the drain, leaving only a single line of nobility that has been plagued with misfortune and death. House Riegan’s current leader at the Roundtable is a senior old man who likely only has a few years left in him. His son had died in a tragic accident a few years back which, for a time, was thought to have spelled the end of the noble line from one of the Ten Elites.

Until last year that is. Everyone presumed that Godfrey von Riegan was the last crest-bearing heir left, until it was revealed that his sister was in fact still alive. And she bore a child.

Dimitri knew the extent of his imagination could not encompass exactly what the chaos within the Alliance must have been like when that news came out.

He had pushed it out of his mind until the first few days at the Academy when he met said child revealed to be the heir to a large chunk of Fodlan. If his imagining of the Alliance politics was feeble, it was still bigger compared to what he thought its newly announced heir would look like.

Claude von Riegan is not someone he could ever have imagined existed. Deliberately tousled brown hair with a single delicately hanging braid, tanned skin that reminded him of being under the warmest days, and green eyes; those green eyes that glowed so vibrantly.

Only when Claude truly smiles did his eyes glow even more, and under certain lighting or the sun, they flashed a beautiful golden green, made even more striking in contrast to his darker skin. He is unlike anyone Dimitri has ever seen in his life. Is that what made the Alliance so different from the Kingdom? With people like Claude who look like he was fashioned out of sunlight by the goddess herself? Dimitri often found himself lost in those green eyes and pretty smile-

“Dimitri? Anyone in there?” A tap on his forehead, causing him to jump.

“Claude!” He exclaims, “You scared me!” 

In front of him is Claude von Riegan himself, smiling bemusedly up at him. His hand hovering over Dimitri’s face before he brought it back down.

“I’ve been calling you a few times but you seem to be in a world of your own.” Claude leans up close and Dimitri could see the freckles, the little curve of his nose, and of course, his pretty eyes, like emeralds and forests.

“Aaaand he’s zoned out again. Really, Dimitri, what have you been thinking about?”

“You,” Dimitri blurted out, and then felt his face heat up quickly. 

Claude blinks, “Me?” He asks, pointing at himself, eyes sparkling, lips curling and teasing.

Dimitri wants to cringe. He wants to go hide in a corner. He doesn’t want to hear Claude laughing at his embarrassing outburst. He always says the wrong things at the wrong time. He wants-

A hand came up and held onto his. The warmth made him open his eyes. When did he close them? Claude didn’t leave and he isn’t upset or laughing at him. In fact, there is a grin on his face that reaches his eyes, shifting his entire expression to become that softer look that first entranced him. Dimitri relaxes at the sight and couldn’t help but smile back.

“Thank you,” Claude says, rubbing Dimitri’s thumb with his own. It soothes and warms Dimitri all over. His frantic thoughts finally ceased, replaced by the thought that an unguarded Claude is a sight to behold.

They haven’t been seeing each other for that long. A few late nights in the library together, subtle flirting during the day, and so far only one kiss in Claude’s bedroom – both of theirs’ first kiss.

It was thrilling in a way that Dimitri never thought possible with someone whom he was supposed to see as a rival, but Claude never acted like there was a competition between them, outside the mock battles of course. His gentle teases of Dimitri were nothing compared to the harsh voices of the ghosts in his head so he knew they were not intended to be mean but in jest and humour.

When he first met Claude, his fellow house leader exuded a friendly demeanor, but his smile was both warding and welcoming and it set Dimitri on edge a little. However, as time passed, he realizes that he recognizes that smile. It was one that he now sees pasted on Sylvain’s face, meant to hide a painful past by acting like the present matters more. Once that comparison was made, it was easier to talk to Claude, getting past that façade night after night in the library, and finding a kind personality underneath.

Immersed in his thoughts, Dimitri is only somewhat aware of the walk together with Claude to the training grounds. The coolness of the morning, and Claude’s humming in the still silence puts him at ease. They have been discretely training together ever since Claude admitted he wasn’t as good with the sword as a lord should be, and training is something Dimitri excels at. Being able to train with Claude is a different experience from his fellow Blue Lions which excites him.

“You really are spacing out,” Claude finally remarks as they enter through the heavy doors to the empty space. “Anything you want to share?”

His question reminds Dimitri of the mission he had assigned himself today. Today he will ask Claude to the school ball coming up at the end of the month. Given that it is already the 15th day of the month, he is running out of time.

“I- I was wondering…” Dimitri starts, trying to look towards the nearby crate of training weapons to work up the courage.

A silence rung out between them as Claude waits patiently. 

Dimitri drew a breath. Now or never.

“I was wondering if… you are going with anyone to the ball?” He manages to get the words out and turning his head to look at Claude.

For a split moment, Claude opens his mouth and then closes it, clearly surprised.

“You don’t have to answer that,” Dimitri says quickly, feeling like he made a huge mistake.

Then Claude shakes his head, “No.”

“No?” Now Dimitri is the one confused.

“I don’t have anyone to go to the ball with,” Claude elaborates. “Hilda and I were gonna go as friends if neither of us had anyone.”

Dimitri looked shocked. He would have thought there would be a line-up of people asking Claude, given the amount of admirers he’s seen around him. Other students have bravely asked him but he turned them all down because he would rather go with Claude or no one; and if Claude turned him down, he could always just stay with his house mates. The Goddess knows Felix or even Ingrid would probably stay on the sidelines so at least he wouldn’t be alone.

Though, even with those ideas in place, he really hoped Claude wouldn’t turn him down.

“No one has asked you? But you’re…” Dimitri trails, not knowing how to say.

“I’m what?” Claude frowns, “There hasn’t been anyone.”

_But you._

They both heard the unspoken words. Believing in the possibility gave him courage and Dimitri took a deep breath.

“Claude, will you go to the ball with me?”

A beat, and then Claude smiles, one that lit up his face instead of the usual stillness in his eyes. That smile always chases away the dark clouds and whispers in his head. It is mesmerizing, and Dimitri would happily stay locked in it forever if he could.

“I would-“

A heavy thump hits the door, causing of them to jump.

“There’s someone in there!” A deep voice calls out. Neither of them recognize the voice, causing them to tense.

“Is it a crest-bearing brat?”

“Yes, two of them!”

Dimitri and Claude stare at each other in horror at the implication. The training grounds is an enclosed space, there are no windows, and the only other weapons they have are the training ones.

Claude carefully drew out a bow and tosses Dimitri a spear, knowing they need to go with the weapons they are good at to defend themselves. No sooner than he did that did the door slam open and four men dressed as bandits entered the room. One of them is holding something strange in his hands.

They immediately spot the two of them and Dimitri shifts, “Who are you? Identify yourselves!”

“That one has the Crest of Blaiddyd,” the bandit holding the strange object says. He is looking down into it instead of towards them.

“Blaiddyd’s crest huh?” One of the others sneers, “That’s too difficult of a crest to contain. What about the other one?”

“The Crest of Riegan looks like,” the first bandit answer, as though he isn’t spilling a significant fact out into the open as he squints at the small device. “Hmm not bad! A crest with powers similar to the Crest of Flames, that is definitely rare and will be valuable.”

Claude pales and Dimitri immediately stuck his arm out and pushes him behind his back, “You will not lay a hand on him,” he snarls. They were outnumbered and there is no reasoning with bandits but Dimitri believes they have a chance in this fight. They have to. He refuses to lose Claude to them.

One of the bandits draws a dagger out, “The Blaiddyd brat wants a fight.” He sneers, “Probably easier than the one with the scary looking blade though.”

“Teach…” He hears Claude murmur behind him.

Dimitri didn’t have time to dwell on that as the next moment, they were attacked by the bandits. Two of them swarm him while the last one darts around to get to Claude, but luckily he has a bow to defend with so Dimitri is less concerned. In fact, it is preferable this way so less of them will be able to go after Claude.

Unluckily, all they have are training weapons and liable to break against real weapons. Still, they are reassuring enough to fight back with.

His spear broke quickly so Dimitri didn’t bother to stop and throw it away. He wielded the broken piece with such force that he bashed it against the first bandit’s head, knocking him down before sidestepping the other and getting a hand on the back of his arm.

“Get back here you little brat,” he could hear behind him, probably Claude is leading him on a merry chase.

“Here’s a thought: how about… no.” Claude retorts, and Dimitri privately grins at Claude’s egging as he shifts and wields his broken lance like two short swords and sent the second bandit down on the ground with a well-placed powerful jab that shattered his weapon and likely a few ribs. This is easier than fighting Felix and Dedue at once so he immediately turns his attention to the battle behind him.

He turns just in to watch Claude take a flying backflip into the air, practically hanging upside down as he shot a deadly-aimed arrow that hit the bandit’s head and downing him in the two seconds it took to land deftly back on the ground.

That… wow, he didn’t know Claude has that kind of flexibility. He is probably more flexible than any of his Blue Lions combined. At least, he has never seen Ashe or Mercedes flip like that with their bows.

Claude turns to him and grins, a small breezy one. In spite of the situation they are in and the fact that there is still one more bandit left, Dimitri couldn’t help but grin back in return. He feels like he could take on the world with Claude at his side.

At least they got rid of most of the bandits, there is only one left for them to take care of so they can go find their housemates and make sure they are all right.

Or so they thought.

The last bandit didn’t look particularly concerned, but then, bandits rarely have strong loyalties or allegiance. Suddenly, the door to the training grounds burst open and Dimitri found himself waist deep encased in ice.

“Dima!” He hears a shout and turns his neck around. Another bandit had materialized, a swordmaster bandit? Dimitri’s heart sank, knowing that mages and swordmasters are quite tougher to deal with face to face and he is trapped. Claude can… can Claude manage?

The pommel of a sword came up and Claude dodges the blow coming at his head with a grace and ease that Dimitri has seen on the battlefield before. It is no wonder that Claude had won the Heron Cup just days prior, even beating out Dorothea for it with fluidity, dexterity, and charm that mesmerized the audience. To his surprise, Claude pulled out a wind spell that accurately hit the assassin type bandit. He didn’t know Claude could cast magic.

From his vantage point though, Dimitri could see that Claude had forgotten about the remaining bandit they didn’t have a chance to finish off, preoccupied with avoiding his foe. He screamed out his name but it was too late, the bandit’s sword pommel struck Claude on the head, knocking him out and sending him into the waiting arms of the other bandit.

“Got him,” the bandit grunts, throwing his limp body over his shoulders like Claude was a sack of stolen goods.

“At least we were able to get one of them,” the other bandit comments. “Let’s get out of here.”

“No!” Dimitri struggles harder against the magic, snarling and growling to break free. He had to get to Claude. He just had to. Failure is not an option

It felt like hours of struggling but it was only a few minutes when he managed to get out of the magic-infused ice, but by then, the bandits have already sauntered out of the training room with their prize, and in the next instant, the door burst open.

“Dimitri?” Byleth’s voice came over, slightly winded. They held the Sword of the Creator over their shoulder, pulsating with energy.

“Professor,” Dimitri gasps out, stumbling towards Byleth. A look of anguish and anger twists his face. “The bandits. I couldn’t stop them from-”

Byleth catches his arm, holding him up. Their face, normally passive, is frowning in concern.

“What happened, Dimitri?” Byleth asks patiently.

“They took him,” Dimitri couldn’t stop the sob and the rage from clouding his words as he blindly clings onto his professor. “The bandits took Claude.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Next chapter will be Hilda’s POV because I love my best girl


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoa, wasn’t expecting you guys to be out for bandit blood so fast, but I’m happy for the nice comments, thank you

The monastery became quiet.

Just a day earlier, the students and even the staff and the knights were buzzing with anticipation for the month’s end activities, busy preparing and chatting away with festive spirit. Now it became subdued. Fearful. Almost suffocating.

Hilda could scarcely believe it herself. One minute she was planning out her jewelry with Marianne, interrogating Lysithea about perfumes she would wear, making a pact with Claude so neither of them would be left alone at the ball, and then the next she was fighting against invading bandits, trying to make sure none of her friends and classmates were kidnapped for their crests. Making sure _she_ wasn’t snatched by the bandits for the crest she bore.

Only to learn that they were the lucky ones. Claude and Dimitri were outnumbered on their own and Claude was taken from them before Professor Byleth was able to get to them.

There aren’t many things in the world that would motivate Hilda into wanting to hit something in frustration, but this? She hates this. She wants to make those bandits pay for messing with her house.

From the little information that Dimitri was able to provide, they all but disregarded the Blaiddyd crest and instead went for Claude’s Riegan crest, citing its abilities as rare.

Professor Hanneman found that bit puzzling as the Blaiddyd crest was actually one of a kind, even if the Riegan Crest was slowly becoming one as well, while Dimitri remained silent, slight tremours shaking his broad shoulders. He spends the rest of the day looking far and past all of them with darkened eyes and muttering disquieting words.

She knew that Dimitri and Claude had become close. She was one of the few who were privy to that information, given that she had been the one Claude confided in during a rare moment of his loss of composure. That was when he and Dimitri started a courtship and Claude was uncertain of Faerghus traditions, or even his own as he had never had the inclination to accept being in one in the first place. Too busy dreaming of other things he needed to do, and books that needed to be read.

Hilda was content to cheer the admittedly cute couple on from the sidelines but now… now she has to step up.

The Golden Deer house is in disarray after the loss of their leader. Marianne shut herself in the church to pray to the goddess with a new fervor Hilda has never seen before. Ignatz is fretting and working himself up as his over active imagination took root. Raphael is busying training and eating to build even more muscles, only to be found in the dining hall or the training room, and neglecting all else. Leonie is in a similar state of anxiety, constantly swinging and then sharpening her weapons. She is joined by Felix and Ferdinand in the training room as they found comfort in training and maintaining their weapons.

Lysethia though… Hilda worries about her the most because out of all the Golden Deer, she took the news the hardest after laying waste to several of the crest-seeking bandits with extra relish. Even Lorenz is concerned about Claude, no doubt his worry overtook his usual tunnel focus on leading the Alliance. Hilda quickly overtook command of the House before Lorenz could say anything, and in the end, he had acquiesced quietly and simply offered his assistance. There is no Claude for him to bicker over leadership with and Hilda is in no mood to fulfill that role.

From what she sees of the Blue Lions, they are faring not much better from seeing their prince in such a state. She didn’t realize that Sylvain knew of the budding relationship but in hindsight, someone had to show the somewhat awkward prince the way forward. But after this attack, if there are any Blue Lions who were in the dark about Dimitri and Claude, they now aren’t. Dimitri isn’t being very subtle anymore, and the Blue Lions are increasingly worried as they also expressed that Dimitri hadn’t been sleeping well either.

The problems are piling up to be something much bigger than Hilda had anticipated. Still, even feeling like this is beginning to be out of her league, she steps up to take care of things as Claude’s stand-in. Claude never had an official retainer like Edelgard and Dimitri do, and Hilda is beginning to feel like that was a mistake.

She could not even begin to fathom the mess that would occur if she didn’t, and how would she face Claude when he comes back if she let the house fall apart?

Ignoring the voice in her head that wonders if Claude will ever come back, she throws herself into leading the Golden Deer. She knew Byleth and Dimitri are in talks to convince the church to let them join in the search, and she throws her voice in there to help them.

(Though with how Lady Rhea seems to favour their professor, she has a feeling this would be easier than it sounds. Still, she has to make sure she do her part which would also get the Golden Deer into the rescue party as well.)

She rounded up Ignatz and Marianne, telling them that instead of standing around, they should prepare themselves for the upcoming battle.

“Battle… against the bandits?” Marianne whispers. Whether that statement worsens her pallor or made it better was anyone’s guess.

“Yes,” Hilda says, mustering as much of her usual easy tone as possible, “We will make them pay, and we will get Claude back. They will regret messing with the Golden Deer.”

“Then count me in,” Ignatz says, nodding with some of that newfound confidence he had been steadily gaining over the months.

Hilda went to find Raphael, only to find that he had been ready to ask when the rescue party would depart, with Leonie listening in, flanked by her companions. As Hilda left the training room, she realizes this will be a bigger rescue party than she initially thought. Claude better appreciate it, though she knows that he would. She has seen her house leader alone, especially during the early months of the school year.

Claude tends to keep many things to himself, Hilda knows. It is with those thoughts that she went to find Lysithea, with the idea of maybe trying to calm her down and coax her out of the library by asking her to join the rescue party. Like the rest of the Golden Deer, Lysithea immediately agrees to it, vowing that she will not allow anyone to be hurt by their crest.

Her mission accomplished, Hilda set out to figure out the logistics of having such a large rescue party. She will bat her eyes as much as she needs to in order to get this done.

It’s so much work, but the alternative would be worse. The idea of being left behind to fret over the fate of their dear leader feels even more taxing on her to deal with. Hilda would do anything to not have to bear that kind of emotional burden.

* * *

They set out from Garreg Mach the very next day, going off of reports from the knights of the bandit sightings. Rhea had instructed them to rendezvous with several of them in Galatea territory and that is what they are doing now.

Most of the group are from Golden Deer and Blue Lion, but there are a few Black Eagles here and there. Edelgard had asked her house for volunteers and Caspar, Petra, and Ferdinand had signed on.

Hilda chances a peek at Dimitri, somehow feeling like she should check in on him for Claude. He had a, well, haunted might be the right word look on his face, and dark bags under his eyes. She remembers what Mercedes had said about him not sleeping and felt a pang of guilt for not finding the chance to check on him, regardless of the dozens of other things she had to do.

She guides her wyvern closer to Sylvain, grateful that she could fly alongside him and talk eye-level when he was on horseback.

“Dimitri… is he okay?” She finally decides on asking after waffling for a moment on what to say.

Sylvain’s eyes flicker to Dimitri who is riding up front with Byleth, noting the prince’s downcast eyes and slumped shoulders. “He hasn’t… been okay for a while,” he admits. The Blue Lion house don’t often talk about their personal matters with anyone outside their house, but given the circumstances, and the fact that Claude talks to the house members and their leader often, Sylvain must have decided talking to Hilda would be fine.

“He was getting better,” Mercedes spoke up softly behind them, mindful of being out of Dimitri’s earshot. “I think the upcoming ball helped to occupy his mind after… after Remire.”

Sylvain lets out a sigh, “and after all effort I put into convincing him to ask Claude to the ball. I have a feeling His Highness believes it’s his fault.”

“That’s why we need to get him back,” Ingrid adds. Her Pegasus flew closer to the group, flanking them on the other side, “because he is a good ally and a friend.”

“It is the boar’s fault,” said Felix, sneering. “He failed to stop the bandits.”

“Felix!” Annette hush-whispers from behind Ingrid, almost fearful of Dimitri hearing them.

“Then that’s why you’re here eh?” Sylvain ribs the swordsman.

“Someone has to clean up his mess.”

“Regardless,” Ashe tries to steer the conversation away from Dimitri’s state. His wyvern flaps carefully as to not entangle with Hilda’s, “We have to save Claude, not just for His Highness’s sake but also because it’s the right thing to do.”

“Agreed,” Dedue nods, from his saddle with Ashe.

“I’m certainly in,” Sylvain says suddenly, tone becoming sharp, “Those bandits were after crests. They’re all the same scumbags when it comes to taking what they shouldn’t, and I will make them pay what they owe.”

He sounds a bit vengeful and bitter, like Lysithea. Hilda supposes that out of all them who have crests, they are the two who intimately know about the downside of crests the most.

Hilda could see why Claude sometimes enjoyed spending time with Blue Lions. They are an oddly dynamic bunch. Though of course being with the Golden Deer is so much better, but sometimes it is nice to see how the other houses got along. After all, they came along because they care, not just about their prince, but because they actually like her dear leader. Hilda is aware of the rumours that circulate the school about Claude and while she has never liked or listened to any of it, it’s impossible to get them all to stop.

She just couldn’t reconcile the nasty words she hears with the Claude who is always supporting his house, who helps in his own way, listens and offers advice when asked, and never says a mean word in return no matter what. She recognizes that the schemes he devises were harmless, mostly for a better cause than they seem on the surface, and the persona of laidback he puts on is the same one she also keeps as a shield. Whether it's rumours or chores to avoid, the persona and false pretty smiles are good for hiding their true feelings and expectations. She knows that Claude works harder than anyone else despite his laidback persona.

So she thought it nice that not everyone in the other houses thought of Claude in the same way as those rumours. Especially not Dimitri.

Eventually, she flew out of the Blue Lions’ den to rejoin her fellow deer near the front of the group with Byleth. Mindful of Dimitri’s intense staring, she sidled next to Marianne on Dorte, taking reprieve for just a bit before the journey’s end.

They will get Claude back. Hilda is going to make sure of it, as sure as she can swing her axe.

* * *

The knights they met up with told them about the circulating rumours of bandits carrying away a child in a nearby town. The townspeople told them every rumour they gossiped about and while some were harmless fun, one of them caught their professor’s attention.

The bandits seemed to have passed through, and then disappeared into the trees at the base of a mountain on the borders of Charon and Galatea. Byleth waved to the rest of the group to follow after gaining some more details.

The group continue with their trek, pressing forward in the direction of the mountain. Anticipation is high as most of the students envision being able to ambush a bandit hideout.

What they get instead is a group of cowards fleeing like their lives depend on it.

“D-don’t- I’ll tell you what you want!” One of the bandits says, cowering and eyeing Byleth’s sword. The group of bandits they have been looking for had rushed headlong into their party, seemingly terrified of something.

Most of the students have rushed to chase after them, ready to take revenge, while Byleth kept an eye on Dimitri, knowing that they would need at least one of them alive to tell them where Claude is.

The group didn’t have Claude. Apparently they had handed him over to another group and collected a hefty amount of gold, but not before running in terror from the group.

Byleth calls for everyone to regroup, letting a few stragglers get away in favour of finding the group that took Claude instead. The bandit they captured told them where to find the secret entrance. Byleth instructs the students with mounts to leave them a respectable distance away so they could navigate the thick brambles and trees until they could see a part of the mountainside carved inconspicuously into an entrance.

Byleth steps forward, peeking in. They could see a faint glowing torch lining the wall much further in.

Lysithea took one step forward and her fingers curl, producing a black mist. She felt agitated, practically vibrating. “I can feel it. This place…”

“What, Lysithea?” Hilda whispers to her curiously.

“This place is filled with magic similar to mine,” Lysithea responds, not taking her eye off the dark walls. “It’s dark magic.” She suddenly turns towards the group, “This is no ordinary group. Those who wear those weird bird-like masks are dark mages and they can be very dangerous. It would be best if we do this cautiously.”

Byleth took her words of caution seriously and sends in a scout to map out the place and figure out where Claude might be held. Ashe is their best choice and he willingly agrees, being someone who knows how to keep out of sight, and is the second best Blue Lion to resist magic next to Ingrid.

With one last look at His Highness's stormy expression, Ashe determinedly sets out to find as much information as he can.

As he sneaks around, checking every corner and room in the dark tunnels, he realizes that aside from the guards that they had quietly taken out at the front, every person he snuck by seemed to be one of those weird bird mages that Lysithea identified. Eventually he came across the entrance to a room lit by candles and he peeked inside. Someone is strapped to the table and he recognizes tousled hair and yellow fabric peeking out.

Claude.

Ashe fell back as several dark mages filed out of the room, speaking to each other as they went. He realizes this is the perfect opportunity to listen in.

“Phase one being a success is very good,” one of them remarks, “I would hate to have lost such a valuable specimen. Really unfortunate there are no others bearing the Riegan crest than this one.”

“Phase two will be difficult,” another one says through muffled fabric, “If it fails, we will need a backup subject.”

The third one shook their head, “With how potent we made its healing abilities, we will undoubtedly succeed in phase two as well. Our specimen will help us keep soldiers alive. We can have an endless army now, and that will help us win.”

The words faded down the hall and Ashe feels slightly sick. He doesn’t fully understand what they are saying but he knows ‘Riegan crest’ is the big clue. He scurries back to tell others that he found Claude and that he has been left alone at the moment.

After hearing Ashe’s report, Byleth quickly lays out a plan to divide the group up, each headed by Ingrid, Ignatz, or Ashe, and the condition that a mage must be accompanying them in each group. Ashe will lead the group with Byleth, Lysithea, Hilda, and Dimitri while the rest will destroy the base and if they could, capture any mages they come across before they get away so they could question them.

They have the element of surprise. They could rescue Claude quickly. They could not leave any part of the base unturned, and they will make sure no one will come after them for their crests again.

The moment they rounded the corner, Dimitri spots a bird masked mage. He roars and spears their head with one throw.

“Dammit,” Hilda sighs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Well… they don’t have the whole picture of TWSITD and their vast control behind the scenes but the gist of what they say and hear is pretty accurate  
\- Rescue? Rescue. Hilda is best girl  
\- I also wasn’t really expecting to write a bit of Ashe action so I have tagged him now  
\- I could not for the life of me fit the Black Eagles in other than mentioning them, but Caspar, Petra, and Ferdie joined the rescue team because they are most keen to bring on the justice, Linhardt helped Hanneman out in trying to reverse engineer that strange device the bandits used and to try and figure out why they would want the Riegan crest, Dorothea is trying to calm Bernadetta after the bandit attack, and Edelgard and Hubert are stationed to protect the monastery in case the bandits come back  
\- Ugh, I keep not being happy with this chapter but I think finally, it's okay to go out, so so many tweaks were made  
\- Yeah, there are some dark implications in what Twisted is doing, just a tiny... tiny... bit  
\- Next POV is Claude, my best boy <3


	3. Chapter 3

It ends with an uplifting smile.

The first time Claude woke up, his head throbbed, and then the memory of being hit in the head came back. The last thing he remembered was hearing Dimitri screaming and his terrified face.

Dimitri’s handsome face should not be so terrified, was the last thought he had before pain exploded and everything went dark.

The second time he woke, up, he had cracked open one eye and then regretted it. Black eyes and a thin beak-like thing stared down at him. Several of them peered down at him. His body ached and he could feel needles prodding at his skin before falling back into darkness.

After the scare of seeing those bird-mages, he drifts. Claude isn’t sure how many times he has woken up and how many times they were just experiences of pain that he tries to numb by falling back into an exhausted oblivion.

He knew they took him for his crest specifically or otherwise they would’ve also taken the Crown Prince as well. Claude has rarely spoken to anyone about how his crest worked. Even with Hanneman, he sidesteps, though it was fruitless as Hanneman most likely knew more from past the research on House Riegan, and given that his was a minor one, there probably wouldn’t be more to learn from studying Claude’s.

Like the Crest of Flames, Claude’s crest can heal him. That was how he managed to get by despite multiple attempts to maim or kill him as he grew up.

Since coming to Fodlan, Claude had briefly studied crests, learning about their abilities and comparing his own to others since it was something unique only to Fodlan. Many of the crests are an enhancement in battle, raising their battle-fueled power and improves their skills, or in Dimitri’s case, enhancing his personal strength. A few of them specialized in magic enhancement – either increasing magic power, or helping them to conserve energy so they can cast more frequently.

In his case, the ability of Riegan was indeed rarer. There are only two other crests that do similar things. The Crest of Chevalier which has been said to be lost to the history books, and the Crest of Flames, which Teach has so it was no longer lost.

Claude always knew his birth was a bit… special. Circumstantial. Unique. Even in Fodlan where crests make you special, his continues to flay him simultaneously with curse and praise in one breath. The crest had helped him gain his legitimate claim on House Riegan, but it also painted a target on his back for anyone with a grudge against the house, like whomever assassinated his uncle. Not that assassinations were new to him, but it was tiring that no matter where he went, he could not escape the possibility that someone was out to get him.

Would anyone come? Can Dimitri find him? Or will he let the Church search for him? Claude had no illusions that the Church of Seiros wouldn’t look for him, given that he held the heirship to a large faction of the land, but how long would that take before they decide to give him up for dead? How far would anyone go for anyone really? He can’t imagine anyone would do that for him, no matter how much of a bond they have, and of course, Lorenz could also take over. He wasn’t the sole heir to a kingdom after all.

Maybe Teach might come for him. Teach is a one-person army when it came to focusing on their goals, and Claude knows they’ve developed a pretty good relationship over the months.

When he next came to consciousness, he overhears the bird people talking in the next room. Saying that the experiment is a success, and they should try the next phase.

Putting the Crest of Flames with the Riegan Crest to see their effects together.

Claude swallows, suddenly aware of how the cold the room is and how chilly the metal table is against the thin fabric of his shirt. The Crest of Flames, from what little he knew, has a strong effect on vitality. It was said that Nemesis, the King of Liberation, was long-lived due to his crest, before he fell to madness.

That aside, the fact that they wanted to implant a crest into Claude, well… gave him insignificant insight into how Lysithea may have gotten her second crest and if so… he owes her a lot for teasing her all the time.

There is no way out of this. He is strapped to the table tightly, the room dark and cold, and even if he could get off, he felt so tired, could feel it to his bones. Claude recognizes the feeling as one he gets after heavily relying on his crest to heal, when he doesn’t tell the others that he needs healing, not wanting to burden the healers more when he could do it himself. He doesn’t often rely on his crest, knowing that his being minor means the effect is less strong, but this type of exhaustion feels different than coalescing by healing magic. He knew his crest has been doing all the healing, and he has no idea how long it has been doing that.

Unable to move and escape the horrors that await this ‘next phase,’ Claude finds his mind wandering. If he doesn’t survive this, then all his dreams will be for naught, but thinking about that doesn’t help his frantically racing mind.

Instead, he turns his thoughts to Dimitri, his awkward endearing prince.

Claude came to Garreg Mach with the intent to learn as much about his Fodlan heritage as possible. To see what makes people tick, and how attitudes and social structure came into being. He has to learn as much as he can in order to find a way, a solution forward, to achieve his dream of one day having both sides of the border cooperate peacefully. This strange land fully of even stranger people meant he has to absorb as much as possible and quickly before he can come up with plans to unite everyone and tear away those ignorant walls and nasty words.

He was definitely interested in the other house leaders, of course he did, they are to be Fodlan’s next rulers, and if he didn’t establish relations with them, how could he expect peace from coexisting nations?

Edelgard though, turned out to be kind of closed off and distant, and while Claude would love to take a crack at her spooky retainer, he barely has time for that. She was suspicious of him and would catch onto the cracks of his knowledge that he could not patch up fast enough. As a result, he tended to keep his distance from her. He was slightly ashamed to admit talking to her fell a bit on the wayside of his list. Fodlan lore and traditions kept him busy all the time as he tried to fill in the gaps as fast as possible, not to mention their mysterious professor that his brain also immediately latches onto.

Dimitri could have also fallen down on the list, though he had to admit, the crown prince was very interesting, if not for the fact that he kept bumping into him at the library, his usual haunt. That was something interesting since the prince had expressed that reading wasn’t exactly his hobby but he was there nonetheless.

And then, it just kept happening. Claude would end up exchanging greetings with Dimitri up to late hours in the library until his curiosity couldn’t take it anymore and he struck up conversation to try and find out what Dimitri was up to.

For a while, it seemed like Dimitri closed up every time Claude asked him about his research, either because it was too personal or sensitive, or maybe Dimitri just didn’t trust Claude. He wasn’t too sure which was the correct reason. At some point though, after sharing enough sleepless nights and casual teasing and flirting, Claude eventually learned about Dimitri’s frustrations. How he could not figure out the truth about the Tragedy of Duscur, and that he disliked people’s treatment of Dedue for something that isn’t his fault. That was when Claude knew that Dimitri did not think like the others who were fearful or disgusted of outsiders.

And after enough time, he realized that Dimitri’s earnest and painfully honest words were not a cover up. It was not a veneer or a persona that hides his vulnerabilities, this was Dimitri at his core, saying what he really felt. He had to get over the mortification fast after hearing Dimitri compliment his intelligence, or his eyes, or anything that others would fear or feel disgust instead, but Dimitri finds beautiful. Even worse, Dimitri just says them matter-of-factly too, like the sky is blue, the grass is green, and Claude von Riegan is otherworldly beautiful with an enchanting smile.

Goddess, just thinking of the things Dimitri has said has Claude fighting back a blush.

He didn’t know when but it was likely the build-up of many moments where he eventually found himself comfortable around Dimitri, comfortable enough to share a bit more than he usually would have about himself. About his hopes and dreams, and a story about a little boy caught between worlds.

Claude expected their relationship to go sour after that. Expected Dimitri to eventually listen to the rumours and pull back from him. He expected his personal secrets to be used against him like the so-called friends he had growing up. Even if there was a chance for them to develop more of a relationship, Dimitri would never do it. Being with the son of Riegan when he was the last surviving heir of Faerghus? Very unlikely. He was handsome, young, and a prince. He had followers and admirers everywhere and would be expected to carry on the family line. Claude was aware that he needed to suppress his budding feelings before school’s end or he would be in for a world of heartbreak. He wasn’t going to treat this casually because Dimitri deserved much more than that, but he had to be aware that there was a time limit. Dimitri wasn’t going to break tradition for a school fling with another man from another world entirely.

Instead, he got a request for courtship. From Dimitri. With Dimitri. Suddenly, he realized with Hilda’s help that this was becoming something serious. He tried not to have a lot of expectations, knowing that it would be secret for a number of reasons. And never asking for more than he thinks he should, he accepted the courtship.

That was when Claude decided to throw caution to the wind and direct his brain to focus on a world that encompasses his dreams with Dimitri at his side. Accomplishing that might be no more impossible than his dreams of inclusion, maybe even within his reach if this turns out to be the help he needed. Best of all, he would not be alone anymore...

He has to get out of this place.

He knows the mages are giddy about the experiment being a success. He knows they will never let go of him now. The power of his crest has become too good as a fuel for whatever they are scheming, and he knows those schemes will be something horrifying.

He wonders, as his mind mulls over the implications of his captors, if he should have died instead. He doesn’t want to become the reason others will suffer, and lose his chance at accomplishing the peaceful world he dreams of.

Though despite the looming possibility of losing everything, Claude still keenly regrets one thing: that he couldn’t give Dimitri an answer. That he would not be able to go to the ball with him and experience what that would be like. That he would not be able to see the possible future he dreams of with his prince, to break down walls between himself, his homeland, and the rest of Fodlan, and finally learn how to share his life with someone. This is entirely too sentimental for his comfort, but he allowed it in these rare despairing moments in the confines of his mind.

He would not-

A loud crash pierces his eardrums and he winces, trying to cover his ears but forgot his arms are strapped down. His ears rang and he blinks as the door bursts open and he hears a call.

“CLAUDE!”

In the next moment, the strappings ripped off the table, scattering bits everywhere and then Claude feels himself being dragged off the table and into warmth.

He squints, and sees a pair of (worryingly) gaunt blue eyes.

“Claude, are you hurt?” Dimitri asks hurriedly, scanning Claude’s thinly clothed body for any obvious signs of pain or injury. There are none, not even scars that Dimitri knew existed, and that is worrying.

“No, my crest… they did something to it and it heals me no matter what... tires me out though,” Claude says with a sigh, and he feels himself lifted higher up Dimitri’s strong arms. He doesn’t even have the energy to wrap his arms around Dimitri’s neck like he wants to.

“I’ll kill them,” his prince in shining armour says ferociously, “I’ll kill every last one of them!”

Another voice floats over, “That would kinda hard to do since every one of them is already dead you know.”

“Hilda,” Claude breathes, turning to look at her.

“Hiya Claude, not looking so hot are you?” Hilda says jokingly, though her pinks eyes betrays her concern.

Not as hot as the both of you, Claude thinks. Though judging by Hilda’s smirk and the surprised blush on Dimitri’s face, he may have said that out loud. His exhaustion coupled by such immense relief that he didn’t even mind being swept off his feet. Here in this room with two people he trusted more than anyone else in Fodlan, he felt safe.

“Great, let’s out of this miserable place. Ugh, I hope the professor can be fast with rounding up the rest of our classmates. I don’t want to have to do that myself.” With those complaining words, Hilda saunters out, Freikugal menacingly hanging over her shoulder, dripping with something dark, probably blood.

“Teach came too?” Claude says quietly. In the comfort of Dimitri’s arms, his exhaustion is beginning to catch up to him and he drifts just a little.

Dimitri noses his neck, awkward as that must be for his own neck, and surprises Claude with his affection. “They all came,” he mumbles.

Now Claude feels warmed, but he also feels like there is something he is forgetting to tell Dimitri.

“Dimitri?” Dimitri stops nosing to lean back and look down at the precious bundle he balances carefully in his arms.

“Yes?”

“I want to go to the ball. With you.” Claude tacks on the last part hurriedly, in case he forgot that important part.

It would be another step forward. It would reveal their relationship to the world, but if Dimitri wanted to, then Claude will do everything in his power to make it work. He wants to do everything with Dimitri.

The dark clouds that covered Dimitri finally lifted as he smiled a most gentle and happy smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- I guess it’s Claude’s turn to wax poetics and it was really hard to do for some reason  
\- Edelgard and Hubert have no idea this was planned by TWISTD but they find out after the rescue  
\- If it isn’t clear, they strengthened Claude’s crest from minor to major but even beyond major – basically Claude’s body can potently heal anything now (which is definitely possible to misuse through blood transfusions, and even his tears can heal the most grievous of wounds ala Tangled) – if it got combined with the Crest of Flames (which I headcanon as a crest that increases longevity) then basically Claude will live a long time, replenish blood quickly, and be used indefinitely as a healing source  
\- Oh no, that just got dark didn’t it… good thing it didn’t happen…?  
\- Lysithea worries a lot about the possible side effects of the experiments on Claude, and they eventually bond over this and Claude finds out how she got her second crest; whether he tells her that he knew TWISTD was trying to do the same to him is up to you to decide  
\- This happened in Ethereal Moon, if only they had more time, Claude and Edelgard might have had a conversation about this, or one with Dimitri in general, but… no time before the invasion sadly  
\- I felt very sad while writing the first half of this chapter but everything turned out for the best luckily, and I wanted to get this wrapped up before I go postal over Sword and Shield coming out  
\- There’s a really short epilogue that’s coming up after this, probably will be up in about a day so it’s not quite over yet!


	4. Epilogue

_“…Are you sure about this?”_

_“It isn’t like you to sound this uncertain, Claude.”_

_“Ha, you’re right about that. I usually don’t ask because you should know what you are getting into so it would not be on me to tell.”_

_"_ _For your schemes right?”_

_"_ _I’m starting to think you know me too well.”_

_“No, you’re still vexing to me all the time.”_

_"Good to know I still have that.”_

_"_ _But to answer your question: I am sure.”_

_"_ _You know about the rumours that follow me… and you are the prince. Everyone’s eyes will be on us. On the future of Fodlan.”_

_“I have given some thought to the future that you envisioned, and I want it too. All of those rumours are false and baseless anyways. I know you ignore them.”_

_“You’re right. This isn’t like me.”_

_"But are you sure with agreeing to all of… this, with me?”_

_“Please, Dima, if there is one thing I am sure of now, it’s that I want that future with you. Everything else… is not relevant.”_

_Under the glowing warm lights of the great hall turned dance hall, Dimitri and Claude dance around and around with their partners, before coming closer, gravitating towards each other until they reach the center. To surprise gasps and much staring, they took each other’s hands and then waltzed away with ease._

_All eyes are now on them, but their eyes are only on each other, exchanging secret smiles until they danced slowly and carefully towards the doors. Without further fanfare, they slip out the door and head towards the Goddess Tower, hands entwined and unwilling to let go._

_There, they reaffirm their private vow, and share a passionate kiss, bathed under the moonlight with the stars as their only witnesses._

* * *

The monastery is completely still.

Five years of neglect and theft has taken its toll on the once grand monastery known as Garreg Mach. Shrubs and vines grow wild without anyone tending to them and many of the walls have crumbled into bricks, dust, and mounds of dirt. The walls are bare and dust collected on the once pristine shining floors.

Byleth could hardly believe that this much time has passed. The villager they had spoken to was not kidding at all. He was probably not kidding about bandits and a roaming beast stalking about either so they needed to be careful when navigating the ruined buildings. Their mind constantly wondering about the students and they hope all of them are still alive and in better condition than the monastery at least.

The moon is already waning as it slowly sank down the sky. Night is falling to meet the morning.

After peeking at the remains of the church, their old room, the halls, Byleth finally ascends the stairs of remains of the Goddess tower thinking that maybe they could see the surroundings easier and find anyone who may be still around.

They aren’t expecting the sight at the top of the stairs. Hidden in the shadows of the room, retreating back from growing light, a massive hulking figure in furs sat in the corner, hunched in the lines of depression and despair.

“Dimitri.” Byleth breathes out, aching to reach out and the figure stirs.

They then realize that Dimitri isn’t alone. Hidden under the furs, another person laying on his lap, clad in warm coloured silks, a golden cape that stirs familiarity. Is that… Claude?

Dimitri stirs when Byleth walks right up to them.

“Go away,” he growls, “I will not have you haunting me either.”

The sound causes his companion to stir and he blinks open green eyes, “Another ghost, Dimitri?” Then he notices Byleth and stares, “Teach? You’re… not dead?”

“What?” Dimitri lifts his head up.

“I’m not dead. I was asleep,” Byleth confirms for them. Claude lets out a raspy laugh but doesn’t get up from Dimitri’s lap, an anchor for Dimitri while his eyes sparkle. “I knew you couldn’t be dead, my friend. I had faith you would come back.”

“All that faith training I drilled into your unwilling skull finally paid off,” Byleth jokes.

This time Claude laughs for real and sits up to lean on Dimitri’s shoulder, “We made a promise to reunite five years ago and now you’re here. This is… surreal.”

Dimitri is silent. Remembering what happened before they fell, Byleth tentatively asks, “Only you two are here?”

“Well, actually I came because I heard the rumours,” Claude says, patting Dimitri’s arm gently. “I refused to believe it when they said you were dead,” he continues, looking up at the blond.

Dimitri huffs and turns away, making indiscernible sounds.

Claude turns his gaze back to Byleth, smiling that guarded smile this time.

Byleth waits. The room holds back a breath. 

Finally, Claude sighs, “I guess if you were asleep all this time, you probably have no idea what happened after Garreg Mach was invaded.”

Byleth listens as Claude outlines the geo-political landscape after Edelgard declared war and Garreg Mach was destroyed. Rhea had gone missing and while that was a concern, Byleth is more concerned by the fates of their students, including the two in front of them. Claude and Dimitri are the de-facto leaders of the only forces remaining to stand against the Empire. Then Dimitri was declared executed by the Regent of the Kingdom and Claude became the only one left before he heard the rumours of a vicious monster killing imperial soldiers.

“So I decided to investigate the monastery,” Claude says. “It’s almost the Millennium Festival after all so even if… there was a so-called monster here, I still needed to come.”

Dimitri remains silent. Claude doesn’t turn to him but he does wiggle his smaller hand into his. This time, Dimitri responds, closing his palm, encasing Claude’s hand.

“And now we’re here,” Claude gestures to the room with his other hand, a small pleased smile on his face. Byleth realizes that since finding these two again, all of Claude’s smiles have been more genuine than ever before. Surrounded by the bleak monastery and the slow dawning light, his smile is simply breathtaking. Like he has found hope at the end of a long journey.

The end of Claude’s short story is where Dimitri snorts, “You are not being forthcoming as always.”

“You mean when I found you?”

“You found a beast.”

“No, I found a miracle because I thought you were dead, and now Teach is here too. I guess there is something to all the fuss about faith.”

“It doesn’t always lead to good things,” Dimitri says, though with less conviction and more distraction in his voice.

Claude laughs lightly, “More good things will happen, Dimitri, I’m sure more miracles can still occur on this day.”

“Another surprise, Claude?” Dimitri growls lowly.

“Hey you love my surprises,” Claude chides him. “I remember you saying they make the colours of your world seem brighter.”

Dimitri looks away, “That boy is dead. You would do better to mourn him and move on with someone you care about.”

Silence reigned. Byleth watches Claude suck in a breath, thinking that maybe this is too intimate for them to be here. Yet neither have asked them to leave.

“Have you forgotten?” Claude says gently, almost a whisper, “There hasn’t been anyone.”

_But you._

Byleth could practically hear the unspoken words, and they knew Dimitri and Claude knew it too. The unspoken sound of it almost like a secret, a hidden callback, a promise, and it is enough to see how Dimitri is affected by it.

“After all this time?” Dimitri asks, “Even after all of… this.” He gestures to the ruined monastery, though Byleth knew that isn't what he really meant.

“Dima,” Claude says firmly, “If you do not trust anything else, just know this. My heart decided on you long ago and there is no persuading it. I accepted it years ago when I accepted you, because I know you. I mourned for you, and now that I found you again, I refuse to do that a second time.”

Byleth wonders how it feels to know exactly what you want. Their own heart beats on its own whims while time continues to turn it this way and that.

“Even if I am a monster? A beast whose only goal is to kill?” Dimitri finally responds, voice barely a growl as it simmers into a quieter tone.

“Even if I am the product of an experiment? Made into something that can be easily turned against everyone?” Claude shoots back, holding out his hand and lighting up his moon-like crest, revealing its unnatural brightness. It is a stark reminder to them of that incident five years ago and that Claude had not come back from it unscathed.

“We all have pasts, Dimitri, but they don’t dictate our future. Nobody deserves to be shackled to what others want. The only thing we can do is decide what we will do about it. I know you fight like this because you love too much.”

Dimitri doesn’t respond to that, but he looks at the brunet with something like a new light shining in his dark eye. Despite all his regrets and the people he could not save, seeing Claude alive after rescuing him all those years ago could be the one saving grace. Proof that he could still save someone he loves. Byleth knew Claude sees that. Sees the pain inside, and the call for help.

Underneath the beastly furs and monstrous rage, Dimitri still loves Claude. Though it will take time and attentive digging, it’s there, and Byleth and Claude both know it.

Claude gently reaches up and tugs Dimitri’s head to rest against his chest. A comforting and soothing gesture, one that Dimitri allows with only a little resistance. Byleth is reminded of a newly adopted cat who is learning how to touch others again without malicious intent. A soothing touch, a forgiving touch.

He looks outside the window and Byleth follows his gaze, watching as the sun peeks out over the horizon, bathing everything around them in warm golden light. The light of a new day rising.

“Can you feel it? Dimitri? Teach? A new dawn is rising.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- and somehow this became a joint GD-BL path, dammit, it always comes to that doesn’t it  
\- (not pictured: Dimitri and Claude encountering each other in the monastery, and it was inteeeeense)  
\- I really wanted to include more Black Eagles but it was getting long and winded as it is, and well, there was a point where maybe the impending war could’ve gotten derailed? But I think that is beyond the scope of this rather simpler plot which honestly is not the fix-all-of-our-problems fic  
\- The golden deer and blue lions reunite at the church, and Claude splits his time between helping Dimitri to heal (those ghosts won’t be chased away that easily) and plotting their next move – he butts heads with Gilbert as a result because he does not agree with the Faerghus traditional attitude (something that soothes Felix a bit, seeing someone with dissimilar ideas from Faerghus tradition that the boar will listen to)  
\- The GD are a lot more chill and have less personal problems now that they’ve grown into their own so in addition to the war effort, they also help mend the rifts in BL (ie. Hilda terrifyingly berates Gilbert for his treatment of Annette, Marianne imparts her newfound outlook in life on Sylvain, Ignatz and Ashe share hobbies and growing confidence, Leonie and Raphael spar with Felix, Lorenz shows Ingrid how to mellow out, etc.)  
\- The combined forces mean taking out Fhirdiad and then Enbarr goes a bit quicker, and they pick up their classmates along the way because Claude refuses to kill them while Dimitri is in no condition to make that decision  
\- Claude being there means Dimitri gets to have stronger support to help him heal (helps a lot that it’s his boyfriend whose biggest strength is in overcoming the past)  
\- If it wasn’t clear before, TWSITD made Claude’s Riegan crest into a major crest but turned up to eleven, which means Claude’s self-healing abilities are increased tenfold; his blood can heal people if they do a blood transfusion with him (I can’t even begin to tell you how that could biologically work but this is fantasy and crests are weird), so his bodily fluids have healing properties (wait… did I just turn Claude von Riegan into a UNICORN?!) and thus, he’s really hard to kill. Though it doesn’t stop Dimitri from having heart attacks whenever Claude gets hurt…  
\- Anyways, I don’t have time to write that, though maybe I’ll write a mini-series sequel if there’s enough interest since the crest stuff has a lot of fun/not-so-fun implications, but all that is where this story ends up going, thanks for joining me in this little adventure

**Author's Note:**

> \- Was this an excuse to wax poetics about Claude? Maaaaybe  
\- I was writing this on a whim and as I was editing, realized the first chapter is finished so I might as well post it  
\- At this point, Claude has C levels in reason and faith and that’s as far as they’ll go; his Bow is at B+; his sword is C+ and grinding his sword up to A just to use the Riegan sword is a PAIN  
\- Dimitri has B+ in lance and B+ in sword; his magic and res are shit unfortunately  
\- Highest dexterity and highest strength team up? Yes please – Dimitri can bulldoze while Claude takes care of the stragglers and magic/healing if needed  



End file.
